Extra inventory. More sales. Lower prices. How counterfeits benefit Amazon

… China and Hong Kong are the origin of more than 80% of the world’s supply of fake goods, according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. … To open a store, all that’s required is a business name, an address, a phone number, a government-issued ID and an international credit card. The simplicity is by design, said Damon McCoy, a professor of computer science at New York University [Tandon School of Engineering] who has researched the role of bots in the counterfeit trade and has held meetings with Amazon on behalf of brand clients. … “Their stance on counterfeits is often reactive rather than proactive,” he said.